UN as toothless enabler
Here‘s another reason the UN has become a net liability rather than a plus—not just to US interests, but to the cause to which it purports to be dedicated: world peace.
One of the oft-ignored reasons for the US appeal to the UN before invading Iraq was an attempt (a vain one, as it turned out) to give teeth to the UN’s ability to police the nuclear capabilities of rogue states and aggressive dictatorships with designs on their neighbors.
Previously, Saddam had flouted the UN for years with impunity. And now Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has allowed Iran to laugh even louder than it had already been guffawing at the ludicrous antics of the impotent UN. Some “watchdog.” It’s a toothless old chihuahua that not only has no bite, but no bark as well.
ElBaradei’s coddling of Iran has become so flagrant that, in a rare show of unity (a unity that, now that Sarkozy is President of France and Merkel Chancellor of Germany, might become less rare in the future), envoys from Britain, the US, France and Germany will be delivering a protest to Dr ElBaradei. I’m sure he’ll be deeply upset [/sarcasm].
Unless people see you executing those who go up against you, as they do in Iran, the UN corrupt bureacrats will not take you seriously. Unless you threaten their wealth or their lives, they don’t give a damn about you.
Just as violent people respect violence, corrupt bureacrats respect power and the ability to wield that power over friends, family, and dissidents.
I think the term “toothless” applies to its ability to strike out against bodies not a part of the UN. While “toothless” most certainly does describe the UN’s effectiveness as an external policing body, a better “-less” term applies to the UN internally: authority-less.
If a member of the Security Councel decides to derail some UN vote, he does it without regard for possible real backlash. There are no internal checks against corruption by individual member states because there is no agreed upon authority able to correct corrupt ambassadorial behavior. What fear does a member of the Security Councel face when voting against an action because of ulterior motives? Nothing that I know of.
The UN is merely a leader-less collection of 3rd tier diplomats too stupid and too irrelevent to be assigned “real” diplomatic duties. It’s amazing how little honor can be displayed when certain groups of people are asked to follow a simple honor code.